Everybody serves someone...

October 31, 2006

Sorry, I don't buy the completely weak spin that he meant this towards President Bush:

Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he said to a mixture of laughter and gasps.

For those who might insist that I've <tired dodge>taken him out of context</tired dodge>, here's the full statement:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Michelle Malkin wasn't the first place I heard about this, but she does have the video link of Kerry making this completely assinine and untrue statement here.

October 26, 2006

Israelis have been forced to question some fundamental tenets on which the State of Israel was founded as well as assumptions and beliefs implanted in elementary school. At this very moment, there is a Torah study session going on just a few feet to my left between a secular Israeli named Rafi with a large tattoo of Gandolph (the wizard from The Lord of the Rings) on his arm, and a religious Jew named Eran with a full beard covering his face and large knitted kippah on his head. While the UN, the EU, and a growing voice in international community is questioning Israel's right to exist, Rafi is opening his heart to the true legitimacy to our claim. Rafi is learning that our right to Tel-Aviv is no more legitimate than our right to Gaza or Hebron and is based on the promise of G-d to Abraham. He is learning about our enemy, Ishmael, who is a "beastly man; his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him" who is jealous of the birthright granted to our forefather Isaac, with whom G-d granted an "everlasting covenant with him and his offspring after him". Most importantly, he is learning that there is a G-d in the world, we are his chosen people, and that he is waiting for us to return to him and guard his commandments. As we look at Rafi and see him beginning to understand, we too understand as well. Before the Jewish people can completely fulfill our task of being a "Light unto the Nations", we must first be a light unto ourselves. We can not extend a hand of friendship to the Christian world unless our other hand is firmly clasped by our Jewish brethren. G-d is bringing our enemies against us in order to turn us towards each other and to him. Whether or not we can understand it, the trials and tribulations we are facing in Israel are for our own good. Sometimes shedding falsehoods and illusions is cathartic, but the pain is a small price to pay for the truth we achieve.

October 23, 2006

Just pressure the prime minister? That's all we had to do? Just tell him to get on the stick and "stop the violence," "just say 'No!'," etc., etc! So saith the AP today. I had no idea the real crux of the problem in the upsurge in violence was a recalcitrant and slacking primer minister.

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats urged the White House on Sunday to step up the pressure on Iraq's prime minister to crush the militias that are inciting sectarian violence and undermining a fragile democracy.

By the by, if you're looking for the "Republicans" who are urging stepped up pressure on the Iraq prime minister, you'll look in vain. Here's senator John Warner's quote:

Sen. John Warner, the committee chairman, said setting a withdrawal timetable would be disastrous because it could leave a security vacuum that terrorists would fill. But Warner, R-Va., has said a change in course may be necessary if the security situation does not improve soon.

"I think we have no other course but to give him our confidence and our support," Warner said.

Warner also expressed concern that even al-Maliki's recent talks with sectarian leaders had not lead to a cessation of hostilities. He said al-Maliki must give more authority to the Iraqi army. "It is their job, not the U.S. coalition forces' to subdue and get rid of these private militias," he said.

And then here's senator Lugar:

The committee chairman, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said pressuring al-Maliki may not work because he does not have much clout. "We keep saying, `Go to your Shiites and get them straightened out, or the Sunnis, or divide the oil. And al-Maliki is saying, `There isn't any group here that wants to talk about those things,"' Lugar said.

Still Lugar said of the Iraqi prime minister, "I think he's probably the best horse to ride on in the situation."

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see any request for pressuring from the 2 Republican senators, do you? Contrast that with the very real advocacy for pressuring Maliki by senator Kerry:

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said the president should take a harder line in dealing with Iraqi leaders: "I think you have to be more blunt. I think you have to say, no young American is going to die and give their life or limb for Iraqi politicians who refuse to compromise. They have to want democracy for themselves as much as we want it for them."

But the title of the article leads one to believe that the senators are speaking with one voice. No media bias here, folks!

When you're on the Left, apologies are never necessary as you simply cannot be construed as racist. That's the sole province of the Right. Accordingly, you shut off any debate (by closing your comments) because there's nothing more to learn (since you were right in the first place)...

October 07, 2006

The ground is shifting on the abortion debate, and the most significant issue here is the impact of modern imaging technologies -- the view into the womb. Sophisticated multi-dimensional imaging technologies, such as Ultrasound, allow us to see the fetus at very early stages of development. What we see is clearly human, as the images are seared into our minds and hearts.